Three Observations From The Lynx’s Win Over The Aces

The Lynx played their best game of the 2019 campaign on Sunday, beating the Las Vegas Aces 98-77. A win like that over one of the best teams in the league has the potential to set the tone for the rest of the season. Though there is another big test in front of the Lynx on Tuesday when they face the Sky, Sunday’s victory was one to savor. Here are three things I noticed…

The Offense Is Finally Clicking 

Remember the beginning of the season when the Lynx couldn’t seem to figure out how to put the ball in the basket? Yeah, we don’t either. The Lynx dropped 98 points on 58.8 percent shooting and only turned the ball over 10 times compared to their 27 assists as a team. It seems like they have finally figured out how to play through and around Sylvia Fowles instead of forcing the ball inside to her—the ball is moving, and every single player is shooting when they are open. That’s a dangerous thing for Lynx opponents.

At the center of this transformation sit Napheesa Collier and Danielle Robinson who have both come on extremely strong in the last few games. Robinson scored 23—a Lynx career high for her—and Collier added 23 of her own. While it wasn’t expected coming into the season, Collier scoring 20+ points is no longer a surprise. She is so strong inside that she can easily dominant small forwards in the post, and her outside shooting has only improved as the season has gone on. The biggest difference in Collier lately is her being able to put the two together and drive the ball into the paint from the perimeter. That was always going to be the last thing to come as she transitioned to the three from the four spot she played in college, but now that she has added that element to her game it has brought out a whole new side of Minnesota’s offensive attack.

Danielle Robinson Has Figured It Out

Robinson’s brief stint on the bench might have helped take the pressure off, or maybe just getting a chance to watch the starting group play unlocked a new level of understanding for her, but she has been simply phenomenal lately. The biggest change in Robinson is that she is no longer trying to be a player she is not. She isn’t trying to force her outside shooting or slow the game down too much—she is trusting in her extremely reliable elbow jumper and her ability to get to the rim and finish in traffic.

Robinson is extraordinarily well-liked and respected within the Lynx’s locker room. Even when she struggled at times earlier in the season her teammates never lost faith in her and always trusted her to figure things out. Now that trust and that chemistry is paying off—Robinson always keeps her head up looking for open teammates and she using her speed to shift defenses out of position better than she ever has before. Robinson’s eight assists led the Lynx last night and there were even more passes from her that led to assists or baskets that didn’t show up in the stat sheet.

The Lynx’s Tough-Minded Approach Is Paying Off

It has been a trying season in many ways for this Minnesota squad. There have been injuries, losing streaks and bad bounces aplenty. However, one thing this team never did was give up or turn on one another. It’s a credit to head coach Cheryl Reeve that she has this team focused and ready to play every single night. The leadership of Fowles and Seimone Augustus must be recognized as well—these are veterans who have been through all kinds of seasons. Everyone remembers the winning and the championships, but both Fowles and Augustus have been through slogs of campaigns before the Lynx reached the heights that they have. That experience and leadership matters.

Trying to predict how the season will finish up is a brutal exercise. There is so much in flux with playoff positioning right now and much will depend on matchups. If this year showed us anything though it’s that the future is bright—the winning culture of the Lynx persists even when wins are a little harder to come by and there is a ton of talent on this roster.

Stay tuned for an exciting matchup with the Sky on Tuesday, it’s a big one with major playoff implications. Tickets available here.